Bridging Gaps, Building Futures: Advancing Software Developer Diversity and Inclusion Through Future-Oriented Research

Software systems are responsible for nearly all aspects of modern life and society. However, the demographics of software development teams that are tasked with designing and maintaining these software systems rarely match the demographics of users. As the landscape of software engineering (SE) evolves due to technological innovations, such as the rise of automated programming assistants powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, more effort is needed to promote software developer diversity and inclusion (SDDI) to ensure inclusive work environments for development teams and usable software for diverse populations. To this end, we present insights from SE researchers and practitioners on challenges and solutions regarding diversity and inclusion in SE. Based on these findings, we share potential utopian and dystopian visions of the future and provide future research directions and implications for academia and industry to promote SDDI in the age of AI-driven SE.